Universities, government negotiate over research funds

Canada’s federal government’s promise of CAD1.5 billion (US$1.35 billion) in new research funding announced in last month’s budget speech is a major coup for universities, but the sensitive work to decide how they will share it is still to come, writes James Bradshaw for The Globe and Mail.

Over 10 years, the Canada First Research Excellence Fund will disburse as much as CAD200 million annually, starting with CAD50 million in 2015, making it one of the costliest new budget pledges. It is designed to invest in key fields of strength to attract talent, buy equipment and build international networks.

It is also the fruit of extensive lobbying led by the country’s largest universities, which argued Canada needs to target areas of research where it can excel globally to stay competitive. But it is still uncertain how the government will divide the new funds among universities and colleges, aside from an oft-repeated promise that the process will be “open, competitive and peer-reviewed”.
Full report on The Globe and Mail site